Power operated toothbrush



1965 J. D. FREEMAN POWER OPERATED woomnsnusn 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 30, 1964 I NVEN TOR. JOHN D. FREEMAN ATTY,

1955 J. D. FREEMAN 3,213,471

POWER OPERATED TOOTHBRUSH Filed March 30, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Jam 0. FREEMAN United States Patent 3,213,471 POWER OPERATED TOOTHBRUSH John D. Freeman, Westport, Conn., assignor to General Time Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 30, 1964, Ser. No. 355,629 Claims. (Cl. -22) The present invention relates generally to power-operated toothbrushes and, more particularly, to an improved power-operated toothbrush having a fluid-mechanical driving system.

Powered-operated toothbrush devices have been gaining increasing popularity in recent years and are currently being marketed at a high rate. Most of the present devices are powered by small electric motors which oscillate or rotate the brush by means of suitable mechanical linkage. Since many of these devices are powered directly from the 120-v-olt household supply, they present the constant possibility, real or imagined, of electric shock. Other devices are provided with low voltage D.-C. motors driven by rechargeable batteries, but this is considerably more expensive, provides relatively low power, and requires periodic recharging or changing of the batteries.

It is, therefore, a main object of the present invention to provide an improved power-operated toothbrush which completely eliminates any possibility of electric shock and yet provides a relatively high power output. A related object is to provide such a device which does not require recharging.

It is another object of the invention to provide a poweroperated toothbrush which is driven solely by a fluidmechanical driving system having a minimum of moving parts. An associated object is to provide such a device which is simple to construct and has an inherently low manufacturing cost and long operating life.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a device wherein the driving system can be completely contained in a small, lightweight casing. An allied object is to provide such a device which is rugged and compact and can be easily manipulated by hand.

Still another object is to provide a power-operated toothbrush which can be powered by a conventional household water supply. A related object is to provide such a device wherein the connection to the water supply can be extremely flexible whereby the brush can be readily manipulated around the mouth. A still further object is to provide such a device which provides a valvecontrolled discharge of rinse water directly from the head of the brush.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent upon reading the following description and appended claims and upon reference to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a power-driven toothbrush system embodying the present invention and adapted to oscillate the brush portion rotationally; FIG. 2 is an isometric View of a finished device constructed according to the system of FIG. 1 and with various sections broken away to show the internal structure; and FIG. 3 is an elevation view, partially in section, of an adapter for conveniently connecting the device of FIG. 2 to a conventional household water supply.

While the invention will be described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiment, but, on the contrary, it is intended to cover the various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Turning now to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a power-operated toothbrush embodying the present invention includes 3,213,47l Patented Oct. 26, 1965 a supply tube 10 for feeding pressurized fluid through a three position toggle valve 11 to a fluid-operated oscillator 12. In order to channel the pressurized fluid into the oscillator 12, the valve lever 13 is moved in the direction indicated by arrow A so as to retract the valve member 14 to its open position. When the lever 13 is subsequently returned to its vertical position, a spring 15 advances the member 14 back to its closed position.

The fluid-operated oscillator 12 is of the relaxation type comprising a fluid amplifier, such as a stream interaction amplifier or boundary layer controlled amplifier for example, and a pair of feedback loops. It will be understood that any of the various fluid amplifiers known in the art may be used in this invention, the common feature of all these amplifiers being that the fluid stream is switched between the two states of operation without the use of any moving parts other than the fluid itself. The pressurized fluid from the toggle valve 11 is fed through a central power nozzle 21 and issues therefrom as a high energy power jet which passes through a jet chamber 21a.

In the common type of fluid oscillator, the output tubes are coupled to the control jets by feedback paths so that flow along one sidewall produces a control jet at the same sidewall thus diverting or switching the power jet to the opposite sidewall resulting in repeated switching back and forth, i.e. fluid oscillation. The period is dependent not only upon the geometry of the device but upon changes in the pressure of the supply and the density of the fluid. In order to switch the a-mplfier to the other stable state, pressurized fluid is passed into the other control nozzle nearest the power jet so as to provide a control jet which deflects the power jet over into the other output tube.

Thus, in the oscillator of FIG. 1, two feedback loops 22 and 22 lead from orifices 23 and 23 in the downstream portions of two output tubes 24 and 24', respectively, back to two corresponding control nozzles 25 and 25'. Each feedback loop includes a restriction 26, 26' and a capacity chamber 27, 27'. Assuming that the power jet initially locks-on to output tube 24, a portion of the fluid passing through that tube enters the feedback orifice 23 and passes through the restriction 26 and capacity chamber 27 back to the control nozzle 25.

As the feedback fluid issues from control nozzle 25, it deflects the power jet from the sidewall of tube 24 over into the other tube 24'. A portion of the fluid then enters the other feedback orifice 23' and flows back through restriction 26 and capacity chamber 27' to control nozzle 25'. The feedback fluid issuing from control nozzle 25' detaches the power jet from the sidewall of tube 24 and deflects it back into tube 24, thereby completing one cycle of operation. This switching of the jet back and forth between tubes 24 and 24 continues as long as the necessary supply pressure is present at the power nozzle.

As the power jet is switched back and forth, periodic fluid pulses are produced in the outlet tubes 24, 24. In order to convert these periodic fluid pulses to oscillatory mechanical movement, a diaphragm assembly 28 is connected to the one tube 24, while the other tube 24 leads to a suitable fluid dump or sink 29. As the periodic fluid pulses are generated in the tube 24, they produce corresponding periodic expansions of the diaphragm 31 connected to the end of the tube. For the purpose of compressing the diaphragm 31 back to its original position after each expansion, a compressed spring 32 is attached to the center of the diaphragm so as to constantly urge the diaphragm toward the tube 24. As the diaphragm 31 is compressed between fluid pulses, the fluid flows back through the tube 24 and becomes entrained in the power jet which is now pasing through the other tube 24.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that the diaphragm assembly 28 acts as a transducer to convert the periodic fluid pulses into oscillatory mechanical movement. Other specific transducer means may be employed to achieve the same result. For example, the tube 24 could be connected to a suitable piston or bellows arrangement which would be advanced or expanded by the pressure of the fluid pulses and then retracted or compressed to its original position during the intervals between pulses.

In order to transfer the oscillatory mechanical movement of the diaphragm 31 to a brush 40, a mechanical linkage comprising a lever 41 and a crank 42 is connected between the center of the diaphragm 31 and the brush drive shaft 43, with the lever 41 and crank 42 being pivotally connected by a pin 42a. The shaft 43 is rotatably mounted in a pair of bearing blocks 44 so that the reciprocation of the lever 41 oscillates both the crank 42 and the brush 40 rotationally about the axis of the brush shaft 43.

For the purpose of conducting rinse water to a port 45 in the head of the brush 40, the brush is provided with an axial passageway 46 which is connected through a line 47 to the other outlet of the toggle valve 11. When the brush user wishes to rinse, he moves the valve lever 13 in the direction indicated by arrow B so as to retract the valve member 14 to its open position, thereby channeling water through the line 47.

In FIG. 2 there is illustrated a practical example of the system of FIG. 1. Pressurized water from a conventional household supply is passed through one channel 1100 of a two-channel flexible hose 110 and fed through a threeposition toggle valve 111 to a power nozzle 112. In order that the toggle valve 111 may be conveniently operated by the user, it is mounted in the base of a housing 113 which serves as the handle and is provided with a removable cap 113a. The fluid oscillator is formed in a centrally contoured labyrinth plate 114 which is sealed between a base plate 115 and a cover plate 116. Fluid pulse-s generated in output tube 117 of the oscillator are converted to oscillatory mechanical movement by a diaphragm 118 mounted within an opening in the cover plate 116 at the end of tube 117. The diaphragm 118 is made of a resilient material so that it is self-retracting between fluid pulses.

The second channel 110b of the flexible hose 110 is used as a dump for the water to be discharged from the other oscillator output tube 117'. This water is discharged through a port in the plate 115 into a tube 120 which leads into the hose channel 11%.

From the diaphragm 11 8, the oscillatory mechanical movement is transferred through a pivotally connected lever 141 and crank 142 to a hollow drive shaft 143 which extends through the upper region of the housing 113 and is rotatably mounted in opposite ends thereof. One end 143a of the shaft protrudes through the housing to receive a detachable brush 144. When the toggle valve 111 is switched to the rinse position, the pressurized water is fed through axial passageways 145 in both the shaft 143 and the brush 144 to a port 146 in the brush head.

As can be seen from the example of FIG. 2, the device of this invention can be readily assembled in a small cornpact unit which the operator can easily manipulate by hand. Thus, the entire driving system consists mainly of a few molded parts which are completely contained in a handle-forming housing. Moreover, since the device has a bare minimum of moving parts, it has an inherently low manufacturing cost and is relatively simple to construct. Consequently, the device also has a long operating life and requires very little repair work or maintenance. Furthermore, since the brush is driven solely by a fluidmechanical system, there is no electric shock hazard and no recharging is required.

Referring now to FIG. 3, in order to connect the fluidoperated toothbrush to the household water supply, there is provided a convenient adapter 200 which can be easily connected to the shutoff valve usually located under the bathroom washbowl. Alternatively, the adapter 200 could be connected to the cold water faucet. Before the adapter is connected, the shutoff valve comprises a conventional globe valve including a valve member V connected to a handle H which threads into a sleeve S. The handle is held in place by a locking nut N.

To connect the adapter 200, the nut N and the handle H. The outside end of the cylinder 201 is provided with threaded onto the outside threads of the sleeve S. A valve stem extension pin 202 is also provided to connect the stem of the valve member V to the shaft of the handle H. The outside end of the cylinder 201 is provided with an extension 203 which is threaded in the same manner as the sleeve S to receive the handle H and locking nut N. For the purpose of connecting the host to the adapter 200, a nozzle 204 is formed in the middle of the cylinder 201 and is connected to channel 110a of the base 110 by a flexible connector fitting 205. The discharge channel 11% is connected through the same fitting 205 to a drain tube 206.

While one specific form of the present invention has been illustrated an described herein in some detail, it will be apparent that the same is susceptible of numerous modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, although the invention has been described with particular reference to rotational oscillation of the brush about its axis, the invention is equally applicable to other types of oscillatory movement of the brush such as linear transverse oscillation for example.

What is claimed is:

1. A power-operated toothbrush device adapted to be driven by pressurized water from a standard household water supply, said device comprising the combination of a fluid-operated oscillator for producing periodic fluid pulses, a transducer operatively connected to said oscillator for converting said periodic fluid pulses to oscillatory mechanical movement, elongated brush means mounted for oscillatory movement, and transfer mechanism connected between said transducer and said brush means for oscillating the brush means in synchronism with said oscillatory mechanical movement of said transducer.

2. A power-operated toothbrush device adapted to be driven by pressurized water from a standard household water supply, said device comprising the combination of a fluid-operated oscillator for producing periodic fluid pulses from the pressurized water, a resilient diaphragm operatively connected to said oscillator for converting said periodic fluid pulses to oscillatory mechanical movement, a transfer mechanism operatively connected to said diaphragm and adapted to be reciprocated by said oscillatory mechanical movement, and rotatably mounted elongated brush means operatively connected to said transfer mechanism whereby said brush means is oscillated rotationally about its axis.

3. A power-operated toothbrush device adapted to be driven by pressurized water from a standard household water supply, said device comprising the combination of a fluid-operated oscillator for producing periodic fluid pulses from the pressurized water, a transducer operatively connected to said oscillator for converting said periodic fluid pulses to reciprocating mechanical movement, an elongated brush mounted for rotational oscillation about its axis, said brush having an axial passageway extending therethrough and terminating in a discharge port in the head of the brush, a transfer mechanism connected between said transducer and said brush for oscillating said brush rotationally in synchronism with said reciprocating mechanical movement, and valve means connected to the supply of pressurized water and adapted to channel said water into said oscillator when moved to a first position, and to channel said water into said axial passageway in said brush when moved to a second position whereby rinse, water is discharged from said port in the brush head,

4. A power-operated toothbrush device adapted to be driven by pressurized water from .a standard household water supply, said device comprising the combination of a fluid-operated oscillator for producing periodic fluid pulses, said oscillator having a power nozzle to be supplied With said pressurized water, a pair of diverging outlet tubes leading away from said power nozzle, a pair of control nozzles opening into said outlet tubes adjacent said power nozzle, and a pair of feedback loops leading from downstream points in said outlet tubes back to said control nozzles, an expandable diaphragm connected to one of said outlet tubes and adapted to be periodically expanded by said fluid pulses, means for compressing said diaphragm during the intervals between the periodic expansions, elongated brush means mounted for rotary oscillation about its axis, and mechanical linkage connecting said diaphragm and said brush means and adapted to oscillate said brush means rotationally in synchronism with said periodic expansions of said diaphragm.

5. A power-operated toothbrush device adapted to be driven by pressurized water from a standard household water supply, said device comprising the combination of a fluid-operated oscillator for producing periodic fluid pulses from the pressurized water, said oscillator being formed in a labyrinth plate sealed between a base plate and a cover plate, a resilient diaphragm mounted within said cover plate for converting the periodic fluid pulses to oscillatory mechanical movement, a rotatably mounted hollow drive shaft and a brush member mounted on one end of said shaft, a transfer mechanism connected between said diaphragm and said shaft for oscillating said shaft rotationally about its axis, and means for supplying rinse water to said hollow shaft for discharge through said brush member.

No references cited.

CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner. 

1. A POWER-OPERATED TOOTHBRUSH DEVICE ADAPTED TO BE DRIVEN BY PRESSURIZED WATER FROM A STANDARD HOUSEHOLD WATER SUPPLY, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING THE COMBINATION OF A FLUID-OPERATED OSCILLATOR FOR PRODUCTING PERIODIC FLUID PULSES, A TRANSDUCER OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID OSCILLATOR FOR CONVERTING SAID PERIODIC FLUID PULSES TO OSCILLATORY MECHANICAL MOVEMENT, ELONGATED BRUSH MEANS MOUNTED FOR OSCILLATORY MOVEMENT, AND TRANSFER MECHANISM CON- 